2011
IJRF is the journal of the International Institute for Religious Freedom (IIRF). It is published bi-annually and aims to provide a platform for scholarly discourse on the issue of religious freedom in general and the persecution of Christians in particular.

2011
IJRF is the journal of the International Institute for Religious Freedom (IIRF). It is published bi-annually and aims to provide a platform for scholarly discourse on the issue of religious freedom in general and the persecution of Christians in particular.

2010
IJRF is the journal of the International Institute for Religious Freedom (IIRF). It is published bi-annually and aims to provide a platform for scholarly discourse on the issue of religious freedom in general and the persecution of Christians in particular.

2008
While many have written about religious violence and persecution, Charles Tieszen here refocuses on some basic definitions and theological reflections. He deftly offers several key insights including the fact that persecution is universal in the Christian life and should be expected. He proposes a more nuanced definition of persecution, illustrating how it differs from suffering. He shows that persecution is normally the result of a complex combination of factors. And he correctly points out the need for Christians to be more reflective about the role of persecution, both in their own lives and around the world.

2010
In addition to the full text of the extensive Bad Urach Statement “Towards an evangelical theology of suffering, persecution and martyrdom for the global church in mission” and the short Bad Urach Call, the compendium includes papers from twelve contributors covering a wide perspective on the theology of suffering.
Isaiah Majok Dau from Sudan addresses how to face human suffering from a biblical and theological perspective.
Rolf Hille from Germany contributes a biblical-theological response to the problem of theodicy in the context of modern criticism of religion.
Charles L Tieszen from the United States attempts a comprehensive definition of persecution from a theological perspective which is communicable with a sociological perspective.
Margaretha N Adiwardana from Brazil, a Chinese-Indonesian who left her country of birth due to harassment, examines the biblical teaching on perseverance. She maintains that from an eschatological perspective, suffering leads to blessing for those who endure it.
Josef Ton from Romania, retired in the United States, describes suffering and martyrdom as a defining and essential Christian characteristic, with the major example being Christ’s death on the cross.
Young Kee Lee, a South Korean now living in the United States tries to trace God’s mission in suffering and martyrdom. He postulates that there is a kind of suffering that is instrumental in advancing God’s kingdom.
Thomas J Wespetal, a theological lecturer in Ukraine, from the United States deals with how God’s plan is furthered through the martyrdom event and attempts to highlight the value of dying for the Christian faith.
Christof Sauer, a German living in South Africa, analyzes the work of the influential German mission leader Karl Hartenstein (1894-1952) who has developed a “theology of mission under the cross”. He maintains that suffering and martyrdom characterize the mission of the church which takes place in the interim between Christ’s ascension and second coming.
Thomas Schirrmacher from Germany addresses a variety of theological and ethical issues. One of his emphases is on the sustaining role of the Holy Spirit in suffering and martyrdom.
Peter Beyerhaus, also from Germany, was given the task to focus on an eschatological perspective, concerning the church of Christ in the shadow of the approaching Antichrist. According to his opinion present day persecution can be regarded as a foreshadowing of the apocalyptic escalation of persecution.
Reg Reimer from Canada and with lifelong experience in advocacy in South-East Asia, shares his insights on persecution, advocacy and mission at the beginning of the 21st century.
Richard Howell from India, dealing with the recent killings of Christians in Orissa, maintains that forgiveness and reconciliation are proper Christian responses to suffering and martyrdom.

2008
This book from a renowned scholar of Islamic studies deals with the Islamic view on Christian teachings of Jesus Christ, such as sin, faith, and forgiveness, in a very detailed fashion, and is particularly suitable for missionaries who are actively involved in the Islamic world.

2008
Is Involvement in the Fight Against the Persecution of Christians Solely for the Benefit of Christians? – “But with gentleness and respect”: Why missions should be ruled by ethics – Persecution – May a Christian Go to Court? – Putting Rumors to Rest – Human Rights and Christian Faith – There Has to Be a Social Ethic

2010
IJRF is the journal of the International Institute for Religious Freedom (IIRF). It is published bi-annually and aims to provide a platform for scholarly discourse on the issue of religious freedom in general and the persecution of Christians in particular.

2009
IJRF is the journal of the International Institute for Religious Freedom (IIRF). It is published bi-annually and aims to provide a platform for scholarly discourse on the issue of religious freedom in general and the persecution of Christians in particular.

2009
IJRF is the journal of the International Institute for Religious Freedom (IIRF). It is published bi-annually and aims to provide a platform for scholarly discourse on the issue of religious freedom in general and the persecution of Christians in particular.

2008
IJRF is the journal of the International Institute for Religious Freedom (IIRF). It is published bi-annually and aims to provide a platform for scholarly discourse on the issue of religious freedom in general and the persecution of Christians in particular.

2002
Exegetical examination of 1 Corinthians 11,2-16, following an alternative view of John Lightfoot, member of the Westminster assembly in the 16th century. Schirrmacher argues that from the biblical teaching that man is the head of woman (1 Cor 11:3) the Corinthians had drawn the false conclusions that in prayer a woman must be veiled (11:4-6) and a man is forbidden to be veiled (11:7), and that the wife exists for the husband but not the husband for the wife (11:8-9). Paul, however, rejected these conclusions and showed in 11:10-16 why the veiling of women did not belong to God’s commandments binding upon all the Christian communities. After stating the thesis and presenting his alternative translation and exposition of 1 Cor 11:2-16, he considers the difficulties in the text, presents his alternative exposition in detail (in the form of thirteen theses), discusses quotations and irony in 1 Corinthians, and deals with other New Testament texts about women’s clothing and prayer and about the subordination of wives.

2009
It is beyond the scope of this little
book to survey all the religions, philosophies,
and political ideologies of
the world with regard to how they
think about human dignity and human
rights. What is possible is to identify
selected ideas or beliefs that threaten
human rights or undermine the protection
of human rights, to identify some
of the cultural locations where these
destructive ideas occur, and to briefly
state why one should reject these ideas.
The critique of such destructive ideas
can reduce their influence in the lives of
individuals and cultures.